FURIOUS residents lashed out at the Royal Mail this week for failing to deliver their early morning post.

People living in Hough Green say they are fed up waiting until lunchtime for their letters.

"It's outrageous," said one man, who runs a business from home. "We haven't been getting our first delivery until 12.30pm.

"I need my post first thing in the morning."

Another angry Hough Green resident said: "We have been putting up with this for weeks. It is not good enough.

"We have written to complain but just receive letters of apology."

They have been told by Royal Mail the problem has been caused because their postman is off sick.

Residents have complained to Widnes sorting office and the customer service centre in Crewe.

"They say they are sorry but they can't do anything about it," said one disgruntled woman.

"I can't understand why they can't simply take on more postmen."

A Royal Mail spokesman said this week: Widnes delivery office has been hit by an unusually high level of sick absence in recent weeks and we apologise to customers whose mail deliveries have sometimes arrived later than usual as a result.

"We are taking steps to rectify the situation, including recruiting more staff, so that we can deliver the consistent standard our customers have come to expect."

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